What GOP can learn from Modi's election

By Jeremy Carl

Updated 2:45 PM ET, Thu May 22, 2014

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – India's next prime minister, Narendra Modi, greets supporters at his mother's home in Gandhinagar on Friday, May 16. Modi is the leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP. After a five-week-long election, the BJP swept the ruling Indian National Congress from power. Official results were expected later Friday.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – BJP supporters dance and set off firecrackers at the news of election results in Allahabad on May 16.

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India's election: The largest in history – Supporters celebrate the opposition's victory in early preliminary results in Guwahati on May 16.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress, addresses reporters May 16 outside party headquarters in New Delhi, with her son and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi at her side. Rahul Gandhi said he took responsibility for the defeat of the Congress party, which had dominated Indian politics since the nation's independence in 1947.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Hiraben Modi, 90, blesses her son Narendra, who becomes India's next prime minister, at her home in Gandhinagar on May 16. Analysts predict his arrival in India's top office will bring a marked change in direction for the world's most populous democracy.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A family follows election results on TV in Guwahati on May 16.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A Hindu holy man passes a line of people after voting at a polling station Monday, May 12, in Varanasi during the ninth and final phase of elections.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – An Indian Muslim woman waits in line to vote at a polling station in Varanasi on May 12.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Election workers prepare to seal an electronic voting machine after the final polls closed on May 12 in Varanasi.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – The Indian National Congress party's Rahul Gandhi, center, waves to supporters at a rally in Varanasi on Saturday, May 10, the final day of campaigning in India's national election. There are 814 million eligible voters in India, making this the largest election in world history.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A family on a motorcycle passes Indian National Congress supporters in Varanasi on May 10.

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India's election: The largest in history – Former TV journalist Ashutosh and actor Jaaved Jaffrey, who are Aam Aadmi Party parliamentary candidates, help campaign for party leader Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi. Kejriwal established the party in response to the anti-corruption protests in 2011-12, and the party had a surprise showing in the 2013 local elections for the Delhi Assembly.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Trinamool Congress Chairwoman Mamata Banerjee, with microphone, campaigns for Jadavpur TMC candidate Sugata Bose, left, and South Kolkata candidate Subrata Bakshi, center, with Mithun Chakraborty on May 10 in Kolkata.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Election workers in Leh check voting machines on Tuesday, May 6.

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India's election: The largest in history – Election officers rest between parked trucks before proceeding to their polling stations May 6 in Allahabad, India.

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India's election: The largest in history – A cow approaches electronic voting machines in Allahabad on May 6.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) walk with party flags during an election campaign in Kolkata on Sunday, May 4.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Women and children attend an election rally in Amethi, India, on Saturday, May 3.

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India's election: The largest in history – A police officer patrols during curfew in the Maisuma locality of Srinagar, India, on Friday, May 2.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A Kashmiri Muslim woman confronts Indian police after they arrested a youth during a protest in Srinagar on May 2.

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India's election: The largest in history – An Indian soldier stands in the middle of an empty Srinagar street Wednesday, April 30, following calls by rebels and separatist politicians to boycott the parliamentary elections.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A soldier helps voters locate their polling station in the village of Sultanwind, near Amritsar, India, on April 30.

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India's election: The largest in history – Election officials distribute electronic voting machines and other material to polling officials in Howrah, India, on Tuesday, April 29.

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India's election: The largest in history – Police conduct a security check Monday, April 28, before voting in Srinagar.

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India's election: The largest in history – A supporter listens to Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati during an election rally in Allahabad on Sunday, April 27.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Kashmiri Muslims watch from a window as an Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard near the site of an explosion near the venue where an election campaign rally was to take place in downtown Srinagar on April 27.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Sumaira Wani, wife of Zia-Ul-Haq, mourns by the body of her husband during his funeral in Hirpora, some 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Srinagar on Friday, April 25. Zia, an Indian poll official, was killed soon after voting in the ongoing election, when suspected rebels fatally shot him and wounded four others in an attack on a bus in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Unidentified relatives cry during the funeral procession of Zia-Ul-Haq in Hirpora on April 25.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – An Indian Punjab State Police officer stands in front of a picture of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during an election rally by the two men April 25 in Bathinda, India.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Indian women cast their vote at a village near Sawai Madhopur, India, on Thursday, April 24.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – An Indian woman gives her thumb impression before casting her vote in a village near Sawai Madhopur on April 24.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A polling official carries electronic voting machines at a distribution center in Gauhati, India, on Wednesday, April 23.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A woman casts her vote on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, on Thursday, April 17.

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India's election: The largest in history – An elderly man casts his vote inside a polling station in Amroha, India, on April 17.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party shouts slogans during an election campaign rally on the outskirts of Srinagar on April 17. Several separatist organizations have jointly appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to boycott the Indian parliamentary elections.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A helicopter carrying Nagma, a Bollywood actress and Congress Party candidate from Meerut, takes off after an election rally on April 17.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Women arrive to vote at a polling station on April 17, in the desert state of Rajasthan.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – People stand in line to cast their votes in Jaipur on April 17.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A voter casts her ballot at a polling booth in Doda, India, on April 17.

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India's election: The largest in history – An Indian election official marks the finger of a voter with ink before she casts her ballot in Sambhar, India, on April 17.

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India's election: The largest in history – An election official checks an electronic voting machine before taking it to polling stations at a distribution center in Siliguri, India, on Wednesday, April 16.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – An election official carries an electronic voting machine across a makeshift bridge after picking it up from a distribution center in Doda on April 16.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Portraits of Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, left, and Vice President Rahul Gandhi are seen at an election rally in Karimnagar, India, on April 16.

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India's election: The largest in history – Security personnel load their luggage on a bus as they leave for various polling centers in Udhampur, India, on Tuesday, April 15.

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India's election: The largest in history – A young girl watches an election campaign rally from her house in Rawalpora, India, on April 15.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Supporters of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party dance during a campaign rally in Udhampur on April 15.

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India's election: The largest in history – A worker arranges masks of Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Narendra Modi at a printing press in Ahmedabad, India, on Saturday, April 12.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A woman carries her child and waits for her identity to be checked before voting in Diphu, India, on April 12.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Rahul Gandhi, one of the leading candidates for prime minister, waves to supporters in Amethi, India, as he arrives to file his nomination on April 12.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Congress Party supporters hold flags as they walk home from a Gandhi rally April 12 in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

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India's election: The largest in history – Gaurav Shrinivas Sharma, a climber nicknamed Indian Spiderman, campaigns in Mumbai, India, on Friday, April 11. Sharma is an independent candidate from the South Mumbai constituency.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – People in Doda wave as a helicopter carrying Gandhi leaves after a campaign rally on April 11.

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India's election: The largest in history – Indian Muslims wait outside a polling booth to cast their votes on Thursday, April 10.

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India's election: The largest in history – A paramilitary soldier stands guard inside a room containing ballot boxes on April 10.

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India's election: The largest in history – A woman casts her vote in Muzaffarnagar, India, on April 10.

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India's election: The largest in history – Voters wait for their identities to be verified before casting their ballots April 10 in Haryana, India.

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India's election: The largest in history – A woman points out her photo before casting her vote in New Delhi on April 10.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Jyoti Amge, a first-time voter and the world's shortest woman according to Guinness World Records, gets her finger marked with ink after voting in Nagpur, India, on April 10.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A woman is given directions by a polling station officer in Haryana on April 10.

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India's election: The largest in history – Voters leave a polling station in Muzaffarnagar on April 10.

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India's election: The largest in history – A polling officer checks the number of an electronic voting machine after it was deposited in Senapati, India, on Wednesday, April 9.

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India's election: The largest in history – A polling official marks a voter's finger with ink in Senapati on April 9.

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India's election: The largest in history – An elderly man casts his vote in Manipur, India, on April 9.

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India's election: The largest in history – An official checks a voter's identity card in Agartala, India, on Monday, April 7.

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India's election: The largest in history – People wait in lines to cast their votes in Agartala on April 7.

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India's election: The largest in history – An election official checks the identity of a voter on April 7.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A woman with a baby casts her vote inside a polling center at Misamora Sapori, an island in the Brahmaputra River, on April 7.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Rahul Gandhi addresses supporters during an election rally in Bangalore, India, on April 7. Gandhi's great-grandfather, grandmother and father have all served as prime minister.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – Running against Gandhi is Narendra Modi, chief minister of the western state of Gujarat with a reputation as a tough, "can-do" administrator.

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India's election: The largest in history – Indians in Dibrugarh stand in a line to cast their vote on April 7.

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India's election: The largest in history – An election officer uses ink to mark a voter's finger at a polling station in Dibrugarh on April 7.

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Photos:India's election: The largest in history

India's election: The largest in history – A polling officer in Agartala looks for a voter's name in the registered voter list April 7.

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India's election: The largest in history – A polling official in Dibrugarh tests an electronic voting machine prior to the start of voting April 7.

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India's election: The largest in history – People wait in line to cast their votes during the first phase of voting in Dibrugarh.

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India's election: The largest in history – Women voters wait outside a polling station in Dibrugarh on April 7.

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Story highlights

Jeremy Carl: Narendra Modi's victory in India can teach U.S. Republicans some lessons

He says Modi was able to gain a majority in a complex nation of 1.2 billion people

Modi focused on the economy and expanded his party's appeal to wider base, he says

Carl: Modi didn't let media define him and made skillful use of social media

Imagine that Ted Cruz became the GOP nominee for president in 2016, running against Hillary Clinton. And now imagine that he won the general election in a landslide, getting record-high vote percentage for the Republicans and capturing states and constituencies the GOP had not won for decades.

That seemingly unlikely scenario is the rough equivalent of what happened in India last week, when Narendra Modi, head of India's conservative, pro-business Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, and bête noire among the Delhi and Mumbai smart sets, led his coalition to the best general election performance in India in three decades.

Modi will lead India's first majority government not run by the Congress party, which has ruled India for the vast majority of its 67 years of Independence.

While Modi's electoral success first and foremost has implications for India, it has broader lessons to teach as well, ones that Republicans might do well to heed as they attempt to develop a working majority in America's own increasingly multicultural democracy, which, however fractious, pales in comparison to the complex vagaries of Indian politics.

Jeremy Carl

That Modi has managed to create a broad conservative and pro-market parliamentary majority in a country with more than 1.2 billion people, numerous ethnic groups, thousands of castes, and 22 official languages is, to say the least, no small feat.

To understand Modi, and the implications of his victory for American conservatives, one must begin by understanding the existing social and political landscape of Indian elites. The Congress Party, which for decades has championed welfare programs and central planning as its economic identity, has long been India's "natural" ruling party. Congress is more internationalist in its origins, and is favored by India's upper classes and intelligentsia.

The BJP, meanwhile, is the party of the Hindu heartland, culturally and religiously conservative, and generally speaking, far more supportive of the free market than Congress. The BJP is also supported by businessmen and industrialists, and increasingly, India's rising middle class.

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In fashionable drawing rooms of Delhi, the BJP is frequently treated with dismissal and derision, similar to that faced by Republicans from the Hamptons to Hollywood. It is a measure of elites' continued control of India's image in both the national and international media, that Modi was regularly referred to in the media as "divisive" even after winning a popular mandate unprecedented in the last several decades.

So how did Modi, long dismissed as unelectable, manage to win an unprecedented electoral mandate for his conservative party without compromising on his principles, and what can the GOP learn from him?

First, he embraced populist conservative themes consistently against his entitled and out-of-touch opponent, Rahul Gandhi, who claimed to speak for India's common man while living a life of luxury. Modi regularly mocked Gandhi, drawing attention to his role as the scion of a political dynasty that has ruled India dating back to his great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.

As long as the GOP faces Hillary Clinton and nominates someone without the last name Bush, it will have a compelling similar story to tell. Potential candidates like Marco Rubio and Bobby Jindal, both children of immigrants, will provide a welcome contrast to the privileged daughter of Wellesley and wife of the former President

On economics, in the face of a Congress Party that endlessly discussed continued expansion of India's notoriously corrupt and inefficient safety net, Modi relentlessly focused on growth and economic opportunity. His positive message was about growing the pie, not sharing the crumbs, and could have been taken out of the playbook of free market conservatives from Jack Kemp to Ronald Reagan.

Furthermore, Modi's electoral wave decimated the Communist parties in India, which have long been a powerful national force and now find themselves with just 10 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha, India's most powerful legislative body.

Modi referred many times to his successful leadership of more than a decade of the Indian state of Gujarat, where numerous Indian and international businessmen testified to the way Modi's government streamlined regulations, cut through India's notorious red tape, and put people to work.

Compared to other Indian states, Gujarat's governance was known for its efficiency and probity. Conservative economic reformers from Paul Ryan to Scott Walker can take lessons from Modi's successful challenge to the establishment.

Throughout his career, Modi has also been an unapologetic social conservative. His political origins are in the RSS, a group that would be considered nationalist Hindu fundamentalists (somewhat politically analogous to conservative evangelical Christians in the United States). But while not backing down at all from his views during the campaign, he did not make them the focus of his effort—and in India as in America, focus and message matters.

Indians, like Americans, were most focused on the economy, and for that reason, Modi's campaign made sure he was, too. Republican cultural and religious conservatives could do well to study Modi's campaign tactics for winning with unapologetic social conservatism without scaring off moderate voters.

Also notably, though Modi comes from a low-caste background in a country in which it is often said that "people do not cast their vote they vote their caste," he didn't play the "caste card," nor did he allow it to be played against him. Instead, he dramatically expanded the BJP's appeal beyond its traditional upper-caste base, and in the process, he decimated the electoral clout of corrupt caste-based hucksters who have typically wielded heavy influence in North India's Hindu heartland.

Modi's BJP campaigned seriously in areas where the BJP had never contested before. He didn't talk about India's 47%. In India at least, identity politics has been trumped for the time being by the politics of prosperity.

For those from Rand Paul to Susana Martinez looking to write a new GOP narrative on race, Modi's campaign offered an example of forthrightly addressing a core issue of group identity without pandering.

On foreign policy, he projected strength and confidence without unnecessary saber rattling.

Pakistan frequently tested the Congress government, according to militants who said it tacitly cooperated with terrorist infiltrations and other provocations, most notably the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed and wounded hundreds. They will likely be more cautious about testing Modi, who was persistently critical of Congress' often-timid reaction to Pakistani provocations, particularly on their contested border.

Here Modi's example would offer much to a GOP that has wearied of neoconservative interventionism, but is also critical of Obama's passivity and worries that our failure to draw bright lines around our interests has invited provocation.

Modi won on not just substance, but style: He refused to let the traditional media play gatekeeper, instead skillfully using social media to reach out to India's rapidly urbanizing professional classes, to whose aspirations for good governance he spoke so strongly. At a time in which the Republicans find themselves flatfooted in technology compared to the Democrats, Modi ran technological rings around his liberal adversaries.

Some cautions are in order, of course. Campaigning is not governing, and, as Prime Minister, Modi a relative novice on the national and international stage, may not be successful. He must also continue to deal with the legacy of serious religious violence that occurred in Gujarat during his first term as chief minister that left more than 1,000 dead and caused international concern.

While India's Supreme Court cleared him of charges that his government did not act decisively enough against the rioters, he was still blamed by others, including the United States, which refused him an entry visa. There is little doubt that given Modi's history, he will be under a great deal of scrutiny to make sure the tragedies of 2002 are not repeated nationally.

But whether Modi succeeds or fails in governing, the GOP could learn a number of lessons from his successful campaign, one that showed how an allegedly "extreme" candidate of a party disdained by media and cultural elites can achieve unprecedented electoral success without sacrificing its principles.

In that vein, it is perhaps appropriate that Modi began his professional life selling tea in his family's tea stall. In more ways than one, he represents the victory of India's tea party.